Threading-in parallel ends



July 29, 1958 E- J. GRISET, JR

I THREADING-IN PARALLEL ENDS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 17, 1951 E 0 M m & .w 7 1 E. J. GRISET, JR

Tl-lREADING- IN PARALLEL ENDS July 29, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed. Dec. 17, 1951 INVENTOR fines! J 512301} J:

July 29, 1958 E. J. GRISET, JR

THREADJiNG-IN PARALLEL ENDS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 1'7, 1951 INVENTOR fillijejfil'llfficlll ATTORNEY U i-ted saw Ernest J. Griset, Jr., Ashe'ville, N. C., assignor to American Enka Corporation, Enka, N. C., a corporation of Delaware Application December 17, 1951, Serial No. 232,145

3 Claims. (Cl. 28---22)v The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling a plurality of threads or yarns'fed continuously from a suitable source, propelled through aftertreating baths and thence through drying orsla'shing equipment to a point of collection. More particularly this invention relates to spinning-in a group of threads that are withdrawn from the spin-bath bymeans of a common draw-01f roller and passed in the'form of a warpto aftertreatments. This type of continuous spinning. is known as the Heim system and is disclosed inter alia in U. S. Patents Nos. 2,334,325 and 2,566,438! I The invention is also concerned with threading-in one or more threads which may become broken during the spinning cycle at any point in advance of the drier or slasher because after the warp of'thrcads has been aftertreated, it is necessary that they be passed through' some form of drier such as a slasher where they are stretched in a wet condition and drieduHder tension. p I

The thread-in party of this invention is applicableto several types of continuous spinningsystems. in which a plurality of generally parallel running ends are to be dried on common rollers that are long enough to accom modate thethreads but cannot be stopped to thread-up one or more broken threads. Another such system is disclosed in application Serial No. 122,560, now Patent 2,725,276, assigned to the. same assignee as the present application. 'Inthat application, the threads are aftertreated individually in a series of tubes but uponemerging from the last tubes are thereafter passed through the drying rollersin a manner similar to that in the Heim system. The'same threading-up problems are inherent in both systems, in that, rayon yarns are brought It is therefore an object of this invention to solve the foregoingproblems and to provide for theinitiation of thespinning-in operation in the Heim system with a minimum of time and labor, ,Anotherobject of the invention is to thread-up broken ends of one or more threads passing from the spinning or aftertreatingstage to drying rollers in a manner involving small disturbance of the other threads of the group being dried, smallwaste and consumption of little operatortime. 1

I More broadly, it is an object of this invention to provide for threading-in one'or more running ends with a group which continues to be drawn without interruption during the threading-in operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof when considered in conjunction withthe annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a portion of the Heim machine showing the common draw-off roller for withdrawing a warp of threads from the spin-bath, a temcollecting devices and cutting knife of the present invention being shown;

:Figure 3 is a perspective view of the collection appav ratus and the associateidtemporary collectingdevices;

Figure 4 illustrates with the apparatus of Figure 2 the early steps of threading-in according to the present invention;

, Figure 5 illustrates with the apparatus of Figure 3 the later steps in the threading in according to the present invention; and v I Figure 6 is a detailed perspective view to an enlarged scale of the temporary collecting device and associated thread guides, knife guard and cutting knife arranged according tov the, present invention.

Referring to Figure -1, the present invention contemplatesa simplified procedure which eliminates considerable timeand waste. 'Before the spinning-in step is initiated, agpackage of finished yarn' 10 is mounted in a together in the form of a warp and .are passed between heated drying rollersthat define therebetween a tortuous passage-way. Since the yarnsare continuously delivered and hence must be continuously drawn by the drying rollers, it is not possible to stop the drawing action of the drying rollers in the event of yarn breakage between the feeding rollers andthe drying rollers. To rethread the running end'through the drying rollers in a manner to avoid stoppage :and hence waste in proportion to the number of threads or yarns b'eingsimultaneously .dried presents a considerable problem for which no satisfactory solution has been heretofore found.

Moreover, in initiating the spinning-in operation in a system of the character of that described in the Heim Pat'- ent No. 2,334,325, it is desirable from :aneconomy standpoint to spin-in the parallel ends in sequence'withas little waste of material and loss of time as possible,

convenient position between the draw-off roller 11 for the freshly spun threads and the delivery roller 12 to the first aftertreating bath. Yarn from the package 10 is led by'hand through the aftertreating baths 13 and passed manually through the drier to a temporary point of collection ahead of the winding machine. This guide thread or leader 14 is propelled continuously through the machine in the same path as the freshly spun thread-s must follow. I

Before describing how thefreshly spun yarns are threaded-imlit is desirable to describe temporary collection and severing apparatus according to the present invention which may be used to assist the operator connecting threads to be carried through the system to the leader 14. To this end concurrent reference is made to Figures 1 and '6. The apparatus there 'shown comprises a rod 15 which extends parallel to the rollers 11 and 12 about midway therebetween, a housing 16 mounted to slide on the rod 15, a'compressedair supply conduit 17 leading to one end ofthe housing, a withdrawal conduit 18 leadingfrom the other end of the housing and thread guides 19 and 20 mounted on the conduits 17 and 18 I respectively. The housing 16 is a suction type thread through the conduit 18. An improvement over the de vice described in Serial No. 237,526, filed July 19, 1951, now Patent 2,661,558, resides in a knife 22 disposed in the upper edge of the housing 16 and a thread guard 23 disposed adjacent the knife.

In operation, the apparatus heretofore described is used to assist in threading-in aftertreating apparatus of the type depicted in Figure 1. The leader 14 is established as described above and the operator then takes one of the freshly spun yarns, draws it over the roller 11 and drops it into the notch 21 of the housing 16 of the suction device. The compressed air flowing in the conduit 17, passes to conduit 18 where it entrains the thread and delivers it to a waste receptacle, not shown.

The operator, after the thread is entrained, leads the freshly spun yarn over the guide 20 and knife guard 23 while the leader 14 is passed over the guide 20, guard 23, and under the guide 19, see Figure 6. The operator now ties a loop over the freshly spun thread and the leader at point 24. The leader then draws the freshly spun thread over the knife 22 cutting it betweenthe knot and the part passing into the notch 21. The leader then draws the running end of freshly spun yarn through the aftertreatrnent baths 13 and through the drier to a temporary collecting device associated with a winding machine in the manner shown and described in copending application Serial No. 244,114, filed August 29, 1951, now U. S. Patent 2,706,089.

As an alternative procedure, it may be desirable to tie several freshly spun threads at 24 to leader 14 in which case these several threads are first dropped into notch 21 where they are entrained by the air flowing through conduit 18. After the threads are cut by knife 22, the leader 14 carries them through the drier to a temporary collecting device in the manner shown and described in application Serial No. 244,114, filed August 29, 1951. a

The yarn path over the guide 20 and guard 23 but under the guide 19 is such as to bypass the knife 22 whereas the yarn path under the guard 23 and under the guide 19 causes the yarn to be cut;

If only one thread is carried through by the leader, the next freshly spun yarn is carried through the system by the first and so on until the machine is fully threaded. When the first freshly spun yarn is threaded-in the leader may be broken at X as shown in Figure 1 and the running part of it collected as waste. device may be positioned to several threads running in various positions between the rollers 11 and 12, the rod 15 is of the same length as the rollers and the housing is arranged to slide on the rod and to be held in any position of adjustment by a thumb screw indicated in Figure 6 by the numeral 16a.

Referring now in greater detail to Figures 2 and 3, the numerals 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d, 252, and 25 represent six wet rayon yarns emanating from a continuous spinning source, for example, of the type shown in Figure l, and delivered by a roller 26 to a series of drying rollers 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31. The yarns issuing from the last liquid treatment of the continuous spinning system are arranged in parallel relationship and are passed over roller 26 in the form of a web comprised of a group of threads or yarns running in generally parallel mutually spaced relationship. These yarns are drawn by the drying rollers 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31, all of which are heated by conventional means, not shown, and the yarns in the tortuous passageway around and between the rollers are dried. The yarns then continue to run in parallel relationship to individual collection devices which, in the present instance, are a series of cone winding devices designated by reference numerals 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 32e and 32 In the normal threading-in of the apparatus of the In order that the suction type shown in application Serial No. 122,560, now U. S. f

Patent 2,725,276, threads 25a to 25 inclusive, are passed through rollers 27 to 31, inclusive, in themanner shown in Figure 2, and are led each to a temporary collecting device of a suction type designated in Figure 3 by the reference numerals 33a, 33b, 33c, 330., 33c and 33,. Once the running ends are temporarily received in these collecting devices, the operator individually pulls a loop between the respective collecting devices and the roller 31 and passes the loop over the various guides of the respective coning machine, starts the machine and cuts the thread running between the suction device and the coning machine. This operation is not described in detail in this application since it forms the subject matter of my copending application Serial No. 244,114, filed August 29, 1951. Operation continues until the cones on the coning machine require to be doifed, at which time dofiing is effected in the manner described in the copending application mentioned above.

On the other hand, it is not always possible to run for a full period without thread or yarn breakage ahead of the roller 27 and the present invention is designed to accommodate for that thread damage in a manner which avoids excessive waste or consumption of operator time. It will be observed that between the rollers 26 and 27 there is disposed another piece of apparatus of the type shown in Figure 6. Inasmuch as this apparatus exactly corresponds to that shown in Figure 6 and to that shown in Figure 1, reference numerals from those two figures will be employed in describing the structure and function of the apparatus in Figures 2 and 4.

Referring now to Figure 4, let it be supposed that the thread 25b breaks somewhere in its run between the roller'26 and the drying roller 27. Since the drying rollers actually propel all of the threads, the end which is being drawn will pass on through the rollers 27 to 31, inclusive, and on to the coning machine 32b. The coning machine, through its own drop wire mechanism, will automatically stop when the last of the thread is wound up. On the other hand, the running end of the thread 25b which is issuing from the roller 26 can shortly become an operational hazard unless prompt steps are taken. According to this invention, the running end 25b is led by an operator to the suction device 16 so that some tension is maintained on the running part of the thread 25b and tangles are avoided. When the coning machines 32a to f, inclusive, are ready to be dotted, the threads running to the coning machines are cut and the running ends placed in the respective suction devices 33a to f, inclusive, except for 3312 which under the supposed conditions will have no thread running to it. The operator then performs the same functions which have been heretofore described in connection with Figures 1 and 6, that is, the thread 25b is passed over the. thread guide 20 and over the thread guard 23. Thereafter, it is tied at point Y to the thread 25a whereupon the thread 25a pulls the thread 25b until 2511 is cut by the knife between the loop at Y and the point where the yarn 25b is entering the notch 21 of the housing 16 of the suction device. Thread 25a being unbroken continues to be drawn by the thread rollers 27 to 31, inclusive, and the suction device 33a. Hence the thread 25b is eventually drawn through the drying rollers and into the suction device 33a (see Figure 5). At this point, the procedures and apparatuses described in application Serial No. 244,144, filed August 29, 1951, are employed to restore normal operation. When the thread 25a has carried the knot made by the loop at Y into the suction device 3311, the operator breaks the thread 25b and throws the running end into the suction device 33b so that both of threads 25a and 25b are collected separately. Thereafter, the coning machines may be threaded up to begin the next winding period.

It will be understood that the foregoing operations are performed in two stages, which are separated by a time interval which is dependent upon how far the winding has progressed before a break occurs and hence how soon when a thread breaks between the rollers 26 and 27, the broken running end is immediately put into the suction device having the housing 16. The remainder of the operation, i. e., the drawing of the broken thread through the drying rollers by one of the unbroken threads is accomplished at a time near the end of the winding period when full cones are to be removed from all of the coning machines.

While in the foregoing description an individual suction type thread collecting device is indicated at 33a to 33 inclusive, for each of the threads 25a to 25 inclusive, it is possible to have the same suction device serve several or all of the threads, in which case only several or one suitably spaced device would be required to serve the six coning machines indicated. Of course, the arrangement shown in Figure 6 can be used ahead of the coning machines.

Throughout the present specification and claims, the terms yarn and thread have been used interchangeably, since their more specific meanings have no bearing on the operation or utility of the present invention which is equally suitable to twisted or untwisted strandular material regardless of its chemical composition.

It can be seen that while the foregoing invention has been described with regard to specific spinning and drying apparatus associated with freshly spun and wet aftertreated rayon, the invention is actually susceptible of use in any thread handling apparatus where a plurality of threads are drawn through a device and it is desired to carry one thread through by another. While it has been indicated that the apparatus of Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 may be associated with aftertreating apparatus of the type shown in Figure 1, it is likewise intended that the apparatus be used with other continuous spinning methods such as the tube-spinning method disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 122,560, filed October 20, 1949.

What is claimed is:

1. Threading-in apparatus comprising means for drawing a plurality of threads in spaced generally parallel relation, means to deliver threads to said drawing means, a pneumatic temporary collecting device disposed beneath the thread path between said drawing means and said delivery means, a knife mounted on said collecting device with its cutting edge disposed beneath and trans-- versely of the plane of movement of the threads and lying between the point of temporary collection and the drawing means above the former but below the latter, a knife guard mounted on said temporary collecting device with its thread guiding surface disposed parallel to and above the cutting edge of said knife and lying between the point of temporary collection and the knife, a

thread guide between said delivery means and said temporary collecting device, another thread guide between said temporary collecting device and said drawing means, said two guides defining a sloping thread path extending across said thread guiding surface and above but free from contact with the edge of the knife.

2. Threading-in apparatus comprising a plurality of rollers defining a tortuous thread path therebetween for a plurality of generally parallel threads, means spaced from said rollers for delivering a group of threads thereto in spaced parallel relationship, a suction type thread col-' lecting device disposed below the plane of the group of threads running from said delivery means to said rollers, means mounting said device for adjustable location transversely of the plane of movement of the threads, and a knife attached to said device, said knife having itsedge disposed beneath and transversely of the plane of the thread group and between the suction type collecting I device and the rollers, a thread guide extending transversely of the threads and disposed between said delivery means and said collecting device, a second thread guide disposed between said collecting device and said rollers, said guides defining a sloping thread path extending above but free from contact with said knife.

3. Threading-in apparatus comprising a temporary pneumatic collection device, a knife mounted on said temporary collection device with its cutting edge disposed above the point of temporary collection, a knife guard with a thread guiding surface above and in spaced relation to said cutting edge and a pair of thread guides defining a sloping thread path extending across said knife guard thread guiding surface and above but free from contact with said cutting edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,822,018 Deile Sept. 8, 1931 2,115,025 Kline et a1. Apr. 26, 1938 2,227,718 Jordan Ian. 7, 1941 2,371,638 McDermott et a1 Mar. 20, 1945 2,392,268 Schmidt Jan. 1, 1946 2,412,403 Jackson et al. Dec. 10, 1946 2,415,399 Adams et al Feb. 11, 1947 2,648,890 McDonald Aug. 18, 1953 2,657,565 Pendleton Nov. 3, 1953 

